Dog Tags
by goldfish400
Summary: After Dipper unintentionally forcefully sucks Bill out of the Mindscape, Bill finds himself stuck in a human body without any of his powers or a way back. He's no more or less then a human then Dipper or Mabel, and he's soon forced to realize that whatever he does to his human body is permanent.
1. Chapter 1

Dipper Pines has only been in Gravity Falls for a week, and he already regretted the decision to come back. He's been having nightmares every night since he first moved here, and he can't shake them no matter how hard he tries. He's tried dream catchers, sleeping pills, and a few times he's even tried keeping himself up all night. But nothing seemed to be working.

If he didn't know any better, he'd blame Bill. Bill had tortured him with nightmares for months on end after the whole Bipper incident as a warning that he truly was undefeatable, and that not even a box packed full of fireworks could defeated him. But that was about 6 years ago, and, in addition, the nightmares Bill gave him were more heavily detailed and often involved Mabel. The nightmares he was having seemed to have no detail at all. In fact, they almost seemed corrupted.

Every night he'd have a different nightmare, of course, but there was something about them that seemed different from other nightmares he's had in the past. Take last night for example. He had dreamed he was surrounded by bitter blackness for thousands of miles. He was floating in no particular direction, and he was freezing cold. All of a sudden, he saw a bunch of large white flashes, followed by a scream that sounded pretty vaguely familiar. Suddenly, he was pulled closer to the white flashes by an invisible string, and as he got closer, the flashes got brighter, blinked faster, and his speed picked up heavily right before he came in contact with the bright white flash. When he jumped up in bed, the scream was still echoing in his ears.

He walked down the stairs slowly, still trying to process what the nightmare could've possibly meant. His thought process was short lived however, because as soon as he reached the bottom of the stairs, Mabel's voice rang up from the kitchen.

"Hey bro-bro, how'd you sleep?" She asks cheerfully, stepping out to meet him with a plate of waffles in her hands.

"Not very well" Dipper ran his fingers through his hair. "I had a nightmare last night"

"Again?" Mabel frowned and placed the waffles on the end table next to the couch. "Dipper, that's the seventh night in a row. I think you're going to have to talk to somebody about this" she says, and Dipper sighs.

"I know. I think I might try and see if there's anyone here in town that can help me later today"

"Well, what about me?" She asks, the smile beginning to return to her face.

"Hm?"

"What if you talked to me? Nobody knows you better than I do" Mabel walks over to the couch and sits down. She places two fingers across her upper lip. "Now, what seems to be the problem?" she asks in a mocking tone, and Dipper laughs as he goes to sit next to her.

"It's just that I've been having nightmares every day since we arrived back here and I'm having trouble finding out why" Dipper says, leaning against the couch and staring up at the ceiling.

"What are they about?"

Dipper sits up and looks at her. "That's part of the problem, Mabel. I don't think they were really about anything."

"Describe the one you had last night"

"Everything was pitch black. I was floating around, and I was freezing cold. Every once in a while I'd see this bright white flash, that I tried to ignore, but then I thought I heard somebody screaming. I couldn't tell who it was, but I knew that it was someone we knew. That scream seemed to drag me towards the light, and as I got closer, the screaming seemed to get louder, my speed picked up, and the intensity of the flashing began to increase dramatically. I woke up as soon as I came in contact with whatever the bright light was, and the scream still echoed in my ears."

Something in Mabel seemed to click when he mentioned that it echoed. "Dipper, did the echo sound like the kind you'd hear if you screamed your name into the Grand Canyon, or did it just seem like an echoey kind of voice?"

"What? No, it didn't repeat like an echo, I think the voice just sounded that way"

Mabel fixed the position she was sitting in so she could look him in the eyes. "Was the voice kind of high pitched?"

Dipper thought for a minute. "I believe so, why?"

"Dipper, I think that was Bill's voice you heard!"

Dipper had to grab onto the couch to prevent himself from falling off in shock. "What, no! It couldn't have been!" He pauses to run his hands through his hair nervously. "Could it have been? But how could he have found me so easily?" Mabel comforted him as he began to hyperventilate. "I'm dead. I'm so dead. If he figures out that I'm here permanently, he'll kill me without a second thought"

"Hey, hey, it's okay, Dipper, it was just a suggestion" She wrapped her arms around him in a hug and reached over to the plate of waffles still sitting on the end table next to the couch. "Here, eat these. It should help you calm down. I'll be right back with a cup of Mabel Juice. Why don't you go put on your dog tags? Those always seem to make you feel better"

When Dipper was 15, his parents gave him and Mabel dog tags their grandfather wore when he fought in the war. He was given the one his grandfather wore the most often, so naturally it was beaten up and covered in dirt. Mabel had teased him about it, claiming hers was shinier, but Dipper felt honored to have received the one he did, because for all he knew, his grandfather probably never put on the one that was given to Mabel. His grandfather had worn it the day he was drafted in, and wore it the day the war ended as well. It had brought good luck to his grandfather, and it seemed to bring good luck to him, too.

Every time he wore the necklace, something good seemed to happen to him. He met his best friend throughout high school wearing the dog tag, his first girlfriend, and more importantly, he was wearing it when Stan had permitted him and Mabel to move back into their old summer home permanently.

"Okay"

"Great!" Mabel smiled, and disappeared back into the kitchen.

Dipper ran upstairs, grabbed them from beside his bed, and placed them around his neck before heading back downstairs. Mabel was watching TV with a glass of bright reddish purple liquid in her hand. Dipper walked over and sat next to her.

"Feeling any better?" She asks, and he nods.

"A little. What are you watching?"

"Meh, nothing interesting. Just something on the Public Access TV Channel." She clicked the TV off. "Do you want to go out and do something? Like, to see what's playing at the theater here?"

"I don't see why not" Dipper says cheerfully, and Mabel jumps up.

"Sweet, I'll go get my jacket" She says, jumping up from the couch and heading off towards the gift shop.

The sun was disappearing over the horizon when they came back. The movie had seen ran longer than they expected it to, so they headed over to Greasy's for lunch, and then found themselves in conversations with everyone there who recognized them.

Mabel walked over to the couch and flopped down overdramatically and sighed loudly. "I didn't think I'd ever have that many people recognize me at once. I think I'm done with being famous for the day"

Dipper sat down at the chair next to the couch. "How could they not remember you? After nearly destroying the theater with those fireworks I wouldn't be able to forget the person responsible" he teased, and Mabel threw a pillow sitting on the couch at him.

"I did that for a good cause and you know it!" She almost yells, and he sarcastically gives her a shrug.

"Still though, I get what you're saying. I didn't think anyone would recognize me until Sheriff Blubs came over and said something about 'being the kid who found out about Quentin"

Mabel smiled as she sat up. "I guess they missed us, huh? Nobody would go through _that _much trouble to talk to someone they recognized unless they meant something important to them.

Dipper laughed. "Well, we were the ones who sent you-know-who to jail. They'd probably do the same if Stan went out in public more often"

Mabel chucked. "Can you imagine people still calling Stan the town hero for that? Like the citizens who couldn't make it to the Shack's re-opening are still waiting for the opportunity to congratulate him?"

"Even better, imagine if he ended up with groupies for that" Dipper could hardly get the words out, and he and Mabel broke into hysterical laughter.

Mabel pretended to swoon. "Sign my stomach, Mr. Pines!"

Dipper joined in. "Sign my chest!"

They began laughing even harder, each chiming in with something more ridiculous then the last. They absolutely lost it when Dipper suggested a groupie asking Stan to punch her in the face to prove to her friends that she had met him, and when Mabel fell of the couch and hit her head on the floor, neither of them could breath. They finally managed to calm down once they both ended up on the floor with tears streaming down their faces, and even then they needed a few minutes to get their breathing back to normal.

Mabel stood up; grabbing onto Dipper for support and offered him her hand once she was on her feet. "That was great"

Dipper wiped a tear from his eye. "Yeah, it really was". He looked around, only now beginning to notice how dark it had gotten, with the exception of the light in the room they were in now. "Hey, what time is it?" He asked, and she looked down at her watch.

"11:30? Wow, time really does fly. I guess we got out of that movie even later then we had thought." She stretched. "I think we should go to bed"

Dipper laughed. "Yeah, before we end up on the floor again for another hour or two." They headed upstairs and went into their room. "Goodnight Mabel" He said, climbing into bed.

"Goodnight Dipper!"

As soon as Dipper closed his eyes, he began to see a bright white light, which soon disappeared into a jumbled and greyscale version of his room. He knew it. Bill must have been waiting for him to come back ever since he hopped on the bus ride home so many years before. Dipper didn't feel like going to find Bill, in case that's what he was expecting him to do, so he waited where he was. He felt himself beginning to hyperventilate again, and he had to bring his hand to his mouth to prevent himself from giving his location away. He removed his hand after nobody showed up, but then clamped it right back over his mouth when he heard muffled yelling. It seemed to be coming from right above him, but Dipper couldn't find where it was coming from no matter how hard he tried. He tried moving away from it, but the voice seemed to be following him, becoming angrier and angrier the more he tried to get away from it. He stopped where he was once he realized there was no way to escape it, and right when he did, the voice stopped. Dipper sighed in relief, but then felt it catch in his throat as the voice got closer to him. The closer the voice got, the louder it got as well. He began to feel a breeze as it got closer, and then the voice came so close to him at such a high speed that his face stung.

Dipper jumped up in bed when it felt like the voice actually came in physical contact with him. The first thing he noticed, other than the fact that his face still stung, is that he was on the floor. He stood up to climb back into bed, but then he heard a thud coming from the floor below him. He shrugged it off, thinking it was Stan, but when he heard glass smashing on the floor, he grabbed onto his dog tag and slowly made his way downstairs.

There was a dim light coming from the kitchen, and by the time he reached it all the way down the stairs and into the living room, his hands were trembling. He brought his hand to his chest, to reassure himself that he had put the dog tag on instead of dropping it on his way downstairs, and took a deep breath before heading into the kitchen.

A man about his age, if not a year or so older was angrily pacing around the room, cursing under his breath with a flashlight in his hand. He was flashing it all around the room. From what Dipper could make out, He had somewhat of a buff figure. He was wearing a bright yellow pyramid-patterned suit with a big black bow tie, and was also wearing red dress pants. He had bright golden hair to match, but Dipper couldn't make much out of him other than that.

"Um, hello? I think you might have the wrong house" Dipper said, trying not to let his voice begin shaking, and the young man looked up at him, flashing the light directly at him.

"You!" he yelled angrily, and nearly dropped his flashlight running over to Dipper and grabbing him by the collar.

"Mabel!" Dipper yelled as loud as he could, but before he could yell her name a second time, the young man clamped his hand over Dipper's mouth.

"Shut up, and tell me how you were doing what you were just doing!" he yelled

"What was I just doing? I really think you have the wrong house!" Dipper asked in a mixture of confusion and fear, and the man responded by lifting him up and pinning him up against the nearest wall.

"Don't play stupid with me; you know exactly what I'm talking about!"

"I do?" Dipper asked, and the man dropped him before pushing him against the wall again.

"I thought I just told you not to do that!" He said, threatening to slap Dipper in the face. "Now tell me, Pine Tree, how did you manage to get to the Mindscape on your own?" He yelled, and Dipper's face went pale. Before he could say anything else, Mabel came running into the room with a flashlight of her own.

"Hey! You better leave my brother alone or I'm calling the-" Mabel dropped her flashlight in shock as the young man grinned manically at her.

"Bill?"


	2. Chapter 2

Bill dropped Dipper carelessly as he made his way over to Mabel. Dipper stood up once he hit the floor and ran to her side. "My My, Shooting Star, I'm impressed" His grin grows wider as he steps closer. "Pine Tree here, didn't recognize me until I had him pinned against the wall" he paused, grabbing Dipper's chin and pulling his face harshly towards his own. "And begging for mercy. Isn't that right, Pine Tree?" he asks, and Dipper pulls his hand away from his chin.

"What are you doing here, anyways?" Mabel asks, comfortingly patting Dipper on the back.

Bill's grin faded, and Mabel knew right away that she shouldn't have asked that.

"I don't know, Shooting Star, why don't you ask Pine Tree what I'm doing here" He replied darkly, and Mabel stopped patting Dipper on the back and exchanged a glance with him. Dipper ignored her glance.

"I don't know"

Bill's frown darkened. "That's not a valid answer." Bill stepped closer, and Dipper and Mabel take a step back. "Anyone who was doing that had to know how" Bill took another step forward, and they took another step back.

"I don't know what you want from me! I've told you before and I'll tell you again! I don't know!"

"Liar!" Bill yelled loudly, and Dipper flinched. Mabel stepped forward so she could intervene between the two.

"Enough!" she yelled. "Now if you two could co five seconds without killing each other and tell me what's going on maybe I'll be able to help you!" Bill's dark laughter told her that once again, she chose a very poor choice of words.

"Oh, Shooting Star. You're so innocent. Nothing you can do will ever come close to being comparable to what your dear brother has done" His grin returns, and Mabel once again realizes she had chosen a really poor choice of words. She turned to look at Dipper, who was looking down at the ground.

"He says I kicked him out of the Mindscape. It just doesn't make sense why he'd think that"

"It's because I SAW you, Pine Tree!" he yells, and Mabel has to place her hand on his chest to prevent him from moving any closer.

Mabel glanced over at Dipper. "Dipper, do you think that's what your nightmares could have been about?" she asked, but the minute the words came out of her mouth, she wished she could take them back.

"Nightmares?" Bill shoved Mabel out of the way forcefully and walked until he and Dipper were practically touching foreheads. "What kind of nightmares?"

Dipper didn't respond, and only looked at Bill in fear, his eyes beginning to twitch.

"Answer me!"

"I don't know! They won't vivid enough for me able to tell what was going on!"

"Liar!" Bill snapped again. "You say you had nightmares, and I _vividly _remember seeing you messing around in the Mindscape." He holds up his fist threateningly as he picks up Dipper by the shirt in his other hand. "Now, tell me about your nightmares in DETAIL or you're going to wish you were never born"

Dipper looked anxiously at Mabel, who was still sitting on the floor, and when they made eye contact, she closed her eyes and nodded her head. Dipper looked back over at Bill and sighed.

"Fine. Every night for the past week, I've been having nightmares that all start the same way. Everything's pitch black, I feel like I'm floating, and despite it being pretty warm, I can see every breath that comes out of my mouth. I move around in no general direction, and then all of a sudden there's a bright white flash of light. I woke up the first night after seeing it, but then each night, I was pushed closer and closer towards it. Just about an hour ago, I dreamed that I was completely sucked into it, and when I looked around I guess it just clicked that I was in-" Dipper froze in realization. Sure, he knew at the time where he was, but he was too busy worrying about Bill finding him that he hadn't realized that Bill was never there at all.

"Go on." Bill said angrily.

"The Mindscape"

"And what did you do once you where there?"

"W-Well, at first I stayed where I was, thinking you were waiting for me to come find you"

"And what did you do when I never showed up? Did you hear some kind of yelling?"

Dipper could feel himself beginning to shake with nerves. "Y-yes" he stuttered weakly.

"And what did you do once you couldn't outrun it?"

"Nothing?"

"Exactly." Bill's grip on Dipper's collar tightened enough to choke him. "Because believe it or not, Pine Tree, more than one powerful being cannot occupy somebody's mind at the same time"

"But what about that time you possessed me?" Dipper hated to bring up the subject, but he knew it was the only way he could get the answer he wanted. "Weren't we both technically in my mind at the same time?"

Bill pulled Dipper closer. "That time was different! Not only were you younger, but you had gone three nights without sleep! Your _sister _could have messed with your mind in that state! But now that you've managed to kick me out without even trying, I'm stuck like this!" Bill unclenched his fist. "And now you're going to have to pay for it" he said darkly, and Dipper squeezed his eyes shut as Bill snaps his fingers. He pops an eye open when he snaps again, and then opens his other eye when Bill drops him.

"My powers" Bill whispers, and Dipper notices something in Bill he never thought possible: _**fear.**_ Dipper makes his way over to Mabel, and they exchange glances as Bill continuously tries to use his different powers without luck. He looks down at his hands in worry, and glances between the two, and then looks back up at the twins.

Dipper swallowed hard. "Did-Did we bond you to ourselves?" He asks, and the fear on Bill's face returns to the unimpressed one that seems to be his default.

Bill turned his back on the twins. "Oh please, you wish it was that easy."

Dipper took a cautious step forward. "Then why can't you hurt us?"

Bill let out a laugh and turned back around to face him. "Oh please, of course I can still hurt you" He slapped Dipper in the face roughly. "I just can't use my powers." He paused for a moment, as if thinking something over. "Although, that 'bonding' thing of yours does give me an idea"

Dipper responded by taking a few steps back, which only made Bill laugh again. "Don't get too cocky, kid. You know that's not what I was talking about. No, what I meant was, since it is your fault I'm stuck here, I might as well move in with you, to teach you a lesson"

"What? No way!" Dipper yelled, and turned his head when he heard Mabel sigh.

"We might as well, Dipper. You know he's just going to keep bothering us if we don't" She walked over to stand next to him. "Plus, you never know" she whispered. "Maybe we're just dreaming and he's testing us." Dipper sighed, and stepped towards Bill.

"You've got yourself a deal" He looks down at the ground and holds out his hand and Bill takes a few steps towards Dipper to shake it


	3. Chapter 3

When Dipper looked up from the floor and noticed Bill grinning, he was expecting a "Sike!" and for him to return to his normal form and explain how Dipper had somehow managed to allow him back into his body, but there was none. What he was noticing, however, was that Bill still hadn't let go of his hand yet. It felt unnervingly familiar, and Dipper could feel his cheeks beginning to burn. Before he could glance over at Mabel and ask what she thinks he should do, Bill made his grip on Dipper's hand even tighter as he pulled Dipper closer to him.

"Listen to me, kid" He hissed at Dipper at just a low enough level that Mabel wouldn't be able to hear him. "Just because I don't have my powers doesn't mean I can't make your life a living hell. Just remember, even without them, I can hurt you, and more importantly, I can still _kill _you. I'd be careful about what you say about me, Pine Tree, because I can make you regret every word that comes out of your mouth like that." He snaps in exaggeration. "I wouldn't risk my chances if I were you". He lets go of Dipper's hand and shoves him back towards Mabel, who catches him as he begins to fall backwards in shock. He stands up, and Bill backs up. "Well, would you look at that" he says, pointing to the window. "It's almost sunrise" He looks Dipper straight in the eyes. "You two should get some sleep." He breaks contact, and looks between the two of them. "I won't bother you until morning. I promise" he says, walking past the two, heading into the kitchen towards the coffee maker. The two watch him until he plugs it in, almost as reassurance, and turn around and head back towards the stairs once he gets it working.

"Dipper, you look traumatized! What did he say to you?" Mabel asks once they're heading up the stairs. Dipper turns around to make sure Bill can't hear him, and is relieved when he sees that Bill's too busy chugging down the entire pot of coffee to notice.

"Oh, nothing new" His voice cracks in fear, and he clears his throat. "He was just threatening to kill me if I say or do something against him. Nothing new"

"What? Dipper, he can't do that! We have to call the police on him or something" she tried to keep her voice down so Bill couldn't hear, but it ended up coming out louder than usual. She brought her hand to her mouth and glanced behind her quickly before returning her eyes to Dipper.

What, and you think he'll just assume Stan called them in his sleep? You know he'll do to you if you do. He's my problem." He dropped his voice to a whisper. "Plus, it's like you said earlier. We could be sleeping now for all we know. It wouldn't surprise me if Bill gave us the same nightmare at the same time. Maybe if we fall asleep, he'll be gone in the morning." She gave him a worried look, but then closed her eyes.

"Fine. But if he's still here tomorrow and he threatens you again, I'm calling the police"

"Sounds good to me"

They sneak back into their own beds once they find their way back to their room.

"Goodnight Mabel"

"Goodnight Dipper"

When Dipper woke up hours later and saw Bill leaning over his bed and staring at him, he would've screamed if it weren't for Bill's hand that was clamped over his mouth that prevented him from doing so.

"Jesus Christ, Bill!" Dipper yells, and Bill sits down on his bed.

"What? This is no different than before"

"Yeah, but now I can see you"

"Oh, then that makes it even better! A daily reminder of why I'm here is just what you need"

"I can't believe you" Dipper tore the covers off of his bed and stood up.

"I'm surprised, I thought someone as smart as you would expect this from me."

"Oh shut up" Dipper threw a shirt over his shoulder and left the room. He threw the one he had one across the hall and put the one he was holding on as he rushed down the stairs. Mabel was on the couch with Waddles asleep on her lap. Dipper walked over and plopped down on the couch next to her angrily. "When you woke up, was Bill watching you sleep too?"

Mabel looked at him in confusion. "No, but he was leaning over your bed"

"Why didn't you stop him?"

"You don't think I tried? I tried everything. Pushing him, offering him a soda, even trying to convince him there was a dead deer outside the window. But he wouldn't budge."

Dipper leaned back against the couch. "And now he's going to do that every day for the rest of my life" He placed his hand over his eyes. "I don't know if I'll be able to wake up and nearly have a heart attack every morning like that"

Mabel opened her mouth to respond, but Bill's voice came out. "Good. Maybe it'll kill you one of these days." The twins looked over to see Bill coming down the stairs with his arms crossed and a bitter look on his face. "Remember what I said, Pine Tree. You're going to have to get used to me and there's nothing you can do about it" He sat down between the two of them.

"There must be something we can do" Mabel said.

"Nope. Nothing you can ever do will ever come close to being forgivable for what you two did to me. Do you have any idea what I've tried to do to get rid of this stupid body?" He holds up his arm, revealing tons of scratches and burns. "I've even tried forcing it to stay awake." Dipper removed his hand from his eyes and looked at Bill as if reminding him of the Bipper situation was the last straw.

"What, just because I was vulnerable and tired when you were forced out of my body means severely hurting yourself in your own body will give you the same results? Who's all-knowing now, huh?"

"Dipper, what are you doing?" Mabel tries to ask, but Bill sits up.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. What, are you doing it for attention? Boohoo, you're a human now."

"Dipper!" Mabel waved to him again, but he ignored her.

"Stand up" Bill commanded darkly, and Dipper crossed his arms and looked the other way.

"No."

Bill stood up and grabbed him by the arm and pulled him up onto his feet. "You've got some nerve, Pine Tree" he threatens, and Dipper rips his arm away.

"Oh look, there you go again. 'Pine Tree this' and 'Pine Tree that'."

"What, would you prefer your real name?"

"What, you mean Dipper? Go ahead, everyone already does. Having you call me that would be more of an honor than a threat if you ask me"

"No, I mean your _real _name."

Dipper's face paled. "You wouldn't _dare._"

Bill grinned. "Try me, Pine Tree. I dare you"

Dipper opened his mouth to speak

"That's what I thought." Bill shoved Dipper's shoulder as he walked by.

Dipper backed up until he was up against the couch. He dropped down, rubbing his arm where Bill had grabbed it so tightly.

"Dipper, you have to be more careful. Who knows how much farther he'll go if you continue to treat him like this?"

Dipper thought of the words Bill had told him and he shuttered. "I just don't know how long I'll be able to handle this. First I'm forced to let him watch me sleep and now he brings up something that traumatized me for years like it's nothing" He begins to shake, and Mabel nudges Waddles to get up so she can comfort her brother. She wraps her arms around him and pats him on the back as tears begin to form in his eyes. "It's okay" she whispers, scooting herself closer to him. When his breathing returned to normal and he finally managed to stop crying, Dipper sighs and stands up, only to find himself making eye contact with Bill, who had a huge grin plastered to his face. Dipper glanced nervously over at Mabel, and when he saw her giving him the same look, they knew.

He had heard every word.


	4. Chapter 4

"My, My, Pinetree, I'm honored." Bill walks around Dipper in a circle. "I mean," he starts, grabbing Dipper's chin and pulling it close to himself. "I know giving people nightmares is my specialty, but you?" Dipper was too horrified to move. Bill wiped a tear from Dipper's eye and flicked it in a random direction. "The heroic Dipper Pines is crying? Because of something that happened when you were twelve?" He asks, and Dipper opens his mouth to speak, finally building up the courage to respond.

"sh-shut up" he mumbles, looking down at the floor and taking a step back.

Bill laughed. "That's all you've got? 'Shut up'? What happened to you? You were much more heroic when you were younger." He took a step closer to Dipper, who took a step back. Bill grinned, taking another step forward, and Dipper backed up. Bill kept pursuing him until Dipper was backed up against a wall. "I'm telling you, kid; something's changed in you since I took over your body. Maybe as soon as I get out of this stupid body I'll do it again so you'll obey my every command" He slaps his hands against the wall behind Dipper's head, and he flinches at the motion. "I'm not hearing any objections, is that a yes?" Bill asks sarcastically, and before Dipper can open his mouth to speak, Mabel stands up and pulls Bill off of the wall away from her brother.

"Leave him alone, Bill. He's traumatized! Look at him!" She says, gesturing to Dipper, still staring where Bill had been standing. His eyes are wide, and his face is the palest she's seen in years. His mouth is still half open, as if he's still trying to think of a response to Bill's threat.

Bill rolled his eyes. "That's the point, Shooting Star" he hissed. "He's the reason I'm here. He _ruined _me" He glances over at Dipper, who is still repeatedly opening and closing his mouth and moving his hands around. "He's better off this way. He's pathetic. It shows how he really is. I've had enough of his brave hero ego." Dipper takes off his hat and slides to the floor and covers his face with his hands. "It's about time people see what he's been hiding under that Pine Tree hat and deformed birthmark of his" He pulls his arm away from Mabel's grip, and heads into the other room. When Mabel was one hundred percent sure he wasn't coming back into the room, she walked over to Dipper and sat down.

"I-I can't believe it" Dipper mumbled as soon as Mabel sat down next to him.

"What can't you believe?" she frowned.

"I let my guard down. In front of Bill." He hit his head against the wall. "AGAIN".

"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself. It happens to everyone"

"But not with Bill! Everyone else who's gotten involved with him knows not to do it again, and this makes the third time it's happened to us and still nothing's changed. He's still much stronger, braver, and smarter than me. I wasn't even the one who stopped him. Both of those times we've gotten involved with him you were the one who stopped him. It was always you and never me.

"Hey, don't say that! You were plenty help the first time, and he totally would've gotten the journal the second time if you hadn't come and talk to me during intermission at the puppet show!"

"Yes, but the only reason he almost got the journal the second time is because I was foolish enough to make a deal with him. If I hadn't been so stupid-"

"You weren't stupid at all! You were very sleep deprived and obsessing over that laptop. You were vulnerable."

"Yeah, what about you then? You seemed to be fine the day we erased evidence of the Blind Eye, and you had spent the whole morning upset about your failed relationships"

"Don't you remember? I tried wiping the memories of ever meeting those guys, and don't even get me started with those hologram-thingies the Love God made. Everyone's vulnerable to something, Dip. Don't forget that. Getting ripped out of your own body? Watching somebody else walk around in it? I'd be traumatized if I were in your shoes, too."

Dipper paused, looked down at his dog tag for a moment, and sighed before reaching for his hat. "I guess you're right" he says, looking straight forward into the other room. "Thanks" he says, and looks over at her and smiles before standing up.

"Yeah, that's more like it." Mabel says, standing up as well. "You wanna go visit Wendy?" she asks, and Dipper's face beams.

"Wendy's here? I thought she was away at college"

"Well, she was, but I heard that's she's home for a few weeks for vacation"

He pauses for a moment. "Yeah, okay, let's go" He says, and she smiles.

"Okay, I'll go get my shoes. Wait here" She says, and heads into the other room. Dipper sighs and heads over to the couch and plops down. Not even a minute later, he feels someone plop down next to him and throw their arm around his shoulder.

"Already? That was fast"

"Nope! Guess Again!" Bill's voice startles him, and when he looks over and sees fresh cuts and scratches crossing over old scars, he looks the other way.

"I must say, Dipper, you have a pretty interesting relationship with your sister"

Dipper slid away from him. He knew if he were to respond in any way that defended their relationship, Bill would try to ruin it. Losing Mabel's support would be the absolute last thing he wanted.

Bill laughed. "Oh no, as great as that would be, that's not why I'm bringing it up." He scooted himself closer to Dipper. "I mean, every time one of you becomes all panicked over some petty thing, you think leaving for the day will fix your problems. Maybe it'll fix boyfriend problems, or accidentally walking in on your uncle when he's getting out of the shower, but not for me." He threw his arm around Dipper, and leaned in closer. "Because I'm going to be here for the rest of your life, and there's nothing you can do about it. So go on, run off and visit Red, stay with her for the week for all I care. But just know that I'm always here, always watching." Bill stands up and passes Mabel as she comes back in the room with her sneakers.

"You ready to go?" She asks cheerfully, obviously trying to avoid bringing anything up that would prevent Dipper from seeing his best friend. Dipper glances over at Bill, but he can't tell what he's doing. He sighs. He knows exactly what Bill is going to do once they leave, but what Bill said is true. If Bill is going to be with them for a long time, Dipper might as well try to find excuses to be out of the house as much as possible.

"Yeah, let's go" he says, standing up. They walk past Bill on the way out, and when Dipper walks by, he shakes his head slowly. Dipper rolls his eyes, ignoring the gesture, and follows Mabel out the door.


End file.
